Guaranteed reading with intelligence

Guaranteed reading with intelligence

Saturday, 6 July 2013

Making The Grade by Peter Pollak - Mini Review

4 out of 5 stars

Tough Police And Serious Criminals

Ever wondered what it is like to be a rooky police
detective? What if you were the first
woman detective on staff?What if your
first case was a no breaks murder by a bona fide psychopath? Shannon Lynch is
on her first day of duty as a detective and she immediately feels that her new
workmates don’t really trust her and won’t until she proves herself.She knows this is a serious job and she is
determined to meet the standards.Her
new boss, Lieutenant Keller, says he at first will not appoint Shannon to a
partner, but attach her to two other detectives, Al Joiner and Chuck Miles, to
basically just observe.Shannon is not
impressed and Joiner and Miles’ reception of her leaves her even more peeved. Peter Pollak has written a novel that grips
the reader right from the start guiding them through the working of a case that
takes the police to standard and not so standard territory.

This is a ‘hard boiled’ police yarn ideal for any reader
wanting to be entertained.While Pollak’s
approach to police work is standard, giving us some idea of the routine of a
police job, the events are hardly standard and are narrated in an exciting
style.Pollak surprises us, shocks us
and keeps us on tenterhooks.Most of the
book is written from Shannon’s point of view, however, at key points we also
see into the lives and thoughts of other characters.This gives variety and depth.

From the start we gain a liking for Shannon and in time we
come to understand Joiner and Miles.These characters ring true and are well crafted.While the style is ‘hard boiled’ we still
feel that Shannon and her partners, and even the perpetrator are real.They are not in any way larger than
life.Shannon slowly evolves over time developing
into a more complex view of her work and life. Joiner and Miles also change,
though to a lesser extent.

Making The Grade is chiefly about success.What is success?How do we get there?What should be our mental attitude to both
success and failure?So much of modern
society revolves around this issue and the topic arises early, when we are
young.We may consider ourselves beyond
that but we all have to take tests, keep our jobs, be accountable to our
friends and family.

Indeed a second issue is friends in trouble.Some people are pure users and others are
not.How do we decide who to help and
who not?Pollak does not give us any pat
answers, but instead chooses to raise questions in our mind.Life is never easy to navigate.

Closely connected to friendship is the issue of
loyalty.Once again it is recognized
that life is complex and there are no easy answers.

As I have indicated the book has a lot to do with a woman
trying to make it in a man’s world.Feminists will not be offended by the novel, but Pollak is not issuing
standard polemics. Pollak recognizes that there certainly IS a male power
system, but once again life is seen to be complex.This is definitely not a cut out detective
story with cut out opinion.Shannon is a
feisty capable woman, but she does shed a few tears (though she certainly struggles
for control with fortitude).She never
was and never will be a stay at home with the kiddies ‘little woman’.

Pollak has got the psychology of his novel right.Most of all this is not your standard out
there over the top psycho.The killer
could easily pass for any man in the street, except of course when he is in the
act of actually killing someone.Martha
Stout is a psychologist who is successful both as an academic and in a
flourishing clinical practice and her book The Sociopath Next Door makes it
clear that these people are very good at appearing normal and even helpful.Indeed a psychopath could be living next door
to you and you wouldn’t even know it.Pollak’s killer certainly fits this picture.The details I have mentioned and others make
it clear that the author has certainly done his research on this one.

The law is of course an institution of society and Pollak invites
some contemplation of the matter.What
is the purpose of the law? The
philosopher Michel Foucault has challenged the law, saying it is another power
system used to manipulate the masses in such a way that ruling elites are
reinforced.Would we, however, survive
without it?Once we step out of our
comfortable lounge room into the hustle of everyday living we may learn that
life can be unpleasant, dangerous.Even
the ‘safety’ of our homes is not an assured fact.

Close to the discussion of the law and society is that of
bureaucracy.Organizations certainly can
put ridiculous restraints on people, but then again some order is needed to
make systems work.

At 255 pages this book is excellent for a weekend read on
the patio.It is interesting and
entertaining, with some excitement and characters that are believable.Making The Grade can be read purely as light
entertainment, but also has some depth if you care to look for it.Don’t get me wrong: it is not a boring
philosophic tome.All in all the book is
a great read, especially for those interested in police yarns.

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Raymond Mathiesen In Brief

Qualifications

I have a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in literature (James Cook University of North Queensland). In that degree I obtained minors in psychology, modern history and economics.I also have a Graduate Diploma of Library Science in which my studies included management and communications (Queensland University of Queensland).

IdeologyOf course I should give some idea of my predispositions and agendas.

I was brought up in a strong Evangelic Christian tradition, but as an older adult have certainly left that ideology. I have some interest in Eastern religion, but more properly could be discribed as spiritual rather than religious. I am interested in questions of ethics, meaning and being, and the highest aspects and achievements of humanity.

Susan McMichael In Brief

Qualifications

I received my B.A. (Hons) from the University of New England, Armidale, in 1992, majoring in English. I focused on Victorian and American literature. I have also studied Psychology and French.

I have been reading Sylvia Plath since 1983, and studied both Plath and Ted Hughes,at UNE.

Ideology

The Left and the Right are apparently no longer in fashion. We expanded the text and now it has flowed everywhere.

At this rate, Leavis will soon be popular again. Ideology often feels like shifting sands, or a map whose directions I don't really want to follow. Suffice to say, that I don't like Critical Theory, but have read it; feminism is a changing ideology with equality at its core and thank goodness for post modernism, (which has been around for a while).